The Russia-China Year of Education provides an effective platform for talent cultivation in cutting-edge fields and young professionals' participation in academic activities, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

The project, recently launched in the presence of the leaders of both countries, fosters new opportunities for enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples, Zakharova said at a regular press conference.

"One of the key objectives of this intergovernmental thematic project is to create new opportunities for training personnel in cutting-edge fields, engage young professionals in a variety of academic projects, and comprehensively deepen their knowledge of the partner country," she said.

Zakharova stressed that Russia attaches great importance to the Year of Education, expecting greater participation from teachers and students of top-tier educational institutions and universities on both sides.

"We hope that as many young people as possible will be able to participate, find their calling and passion, discover new talents, and realize them for the benefit of developing Russia-China relations," she said.

Commenting on the extension of China's visa exemption policy for Russian citizens, Zakharova said that the implementation of the mutual visa-free arrangement has opened up extensive prospects for enhanced people-to-people exchanges and direct interactions between the peoples of the two nations.